\Shannon Harbison, Bethany Dillard, Kelly Whittaker, RaeAnne RossLEARNING LOG 1
T
hank you for the complete log. I appreciate it.

At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.


Why are content area reading strategies (CARS) important for all students at all levels?Shannon-I think that CARS are important for students at all levels because they help to activate prior knowledge to better understand information in a specific content area. The strategies also help students to learn to think as they read and to better organize their thoughts so they are able to retain the important information as they study.*Are there specific strategies designed to assist students that have a certain learning style?Swanson: As you experience the strategies for this class, you should mark them as for learning styles in the upper corner of the strategy. If you "google" the learning style and add activities, the Internet has many of them mentioned so you can match the activity and then put that list in your strategy notebook. I like the way that you are thinking about matching children and learning styles.
Kelly: CARS are an important reading tool to use with students at all levels because they teach students how to use reading to learn. Many students read the text but do not remember/understand what they have read. The strategies provide tools that help students organize the information, build vocabulary, activate background knowledge, focus on specific ideas, etc.
*Are the strategies we will learn in this class specific for content area reading, or can the strategies we learned about in READ 4023 also be applied to content area reading?
Swanson: Most of the strategies will be focused on social studies, science, language arts, etc. The vocabulary and opening strategies would be appropriate for all areas as well as math. When math and science take more of an hands-on approach (which is perfect for learning the content), the metacognitive strategies and closing strategies will be different. All of these strategies can be adapted for all levels and all children!!!!! The teacher can be creative and do that.

Rae: I think that CARS is important for all students at all levels because it helps students decode words, read fluently, activate background knowledge, and use comprehension skills. In order to read text successfully, readers must be able to intertwine these strategies. These strategies also help students to become active and thoughtful readers, questioning and comprehending what they are reading.
* Because content area studies rely so heavily on connecting prior knowledge to new information, how much time should be spent preparing students to read a specific content area text?. Swanson: You will spend as much time as you need to build a foundation for a concept. For example democracy will take more time than horses because democracy is more abstract. For horses, you can show pictures and elicit experiences. Sometimes prior knowledge for a big unit can be an entire class period or it can be a minute or two.
Bethany: I believe CARS are important for all students at all levels because all students' brains need to be activated before thrown into reading and other subjects. It's important for the teacher to see what his/her students already know and what they need help on. I think that it also gets the students more involved in learning and remembering what they've learned. It also allows students to work together.
*In your experience, have you seen these strategies work effectively for all types of learners?
Swanson: These strategiesWORK for all students at all levels for all purposes. When we give a structure of strategies for each of the four parts of a lesson, learning takes place on a deepen and more enriching plane. Teachers must teach and strategies are the way to help with the structure of teaching.

WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?Shannon-The text set and electronic resources help to understand the topic as they add personal experiences that students may connect with. The additional resources aid in making an unknown and sometimes undesirable subject more appealing and interesting. Electronic resources can often provide visuals and extensions to a difficult topic for students.Kelly: Text sets and electronic resources are a great way to appeal to a wide variety of learners. Engaging students is often half the battle and using diverse sources of information increase the likelihood of finding one that the students find interesting. Videos, PowerPoints, fictional and nonfictional books, informational books, photographs, and culturally diverse books are all examples of ways to use text sets and electronic reratsources to engage students. When they feel a personal connection to what they are reading/learning, they are more likely to comprehend and retain the information.Rae: After reading the text set, the use of other books and electronic resources allows students to make a better connection with the topic. For example, in history, instead of students just reading facts and dates, students could read a personal account of an experience or interview someone who experienced the event. This allows students to better understand what they are learning, making a connection, and activating background knowledge. Text set collections of resources from different genre, media, and levels of reading difficulty are more supportive of learners with a range of experiences and interests than any single text. Bethany: I think after reading the text set it helps the students understand and relate better to the topic that they are studying. I know from personal experience that when a teacher uses the textbook only, the lesson is boring and not as appealing to me. I believe throwing in some fictional stories and electronic resources about a nonfiction event makes the event come more alive and interesting for the students.
Swanson: All students in a classroom are not only visual textbook types. A small percentage of students can learn effectively today in this mode. Today's students need stimulus from visual, auditory and tactile sources. Today's students need to be engaged with text and text sets is an effective way to help with authentic learning and experiences.


LEARNING LOG 2
T
hank you for the complete log. I appreciate it.

At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Shannon-Involve all students actively in learning the important ideas and concepts of the content they are studying. Continually strive to make learning intellectually challenging for the students. Effective teachers carefully organize activities, materials, and instruction based on students prior knowledge and engage students in active thinking.
*At any point in your teaching career have you had difficulties keeping all of the students ingaged in learning and what was your solution? What about multi-aged classrooms?
Swanson: Teachers always have problems keeping all engaged. The key to success is for the teacher to know what is going to happen, how it is going to happen, and what the expectations will be. I usually provided choice in an contract format, alone or with a partner. I had a rubric to measure the product, usually collaboratively developed with the student. I made sure the participants know what to do, how to do it, have the right equipment, and made an authentic purpose or audience. The time was defined. All of this I learned by a teacher who was my mentor....she made me change the way that I taught and I am always thankful to her pressure as well as her encouragement.

My room was a constructive mess but everyone was busy and focused.

Bethany: They suggest to improve the topic by using more than just text. They suggest visual, media, computer, and more to engage the students in learning. They also suggest to activate students prior knowledge so they connect what they already know to what they are reading. They also discuss how teachers can adjust instuction to the diversities in the classroom.
*Is it hard for the teacher to recognize if a student comprehends what they are reading or just reads the words?
Swanson: You will know instantly when you say, "Tell me what is the most important part of what you just read." If the student reads the words, the student stumbles around with the answer and usually responds, " I can't remember." If the student has "read" the words, then the student gives a logical answers. Too many students can't respond to the question because they don't read with their brain and heart open to receive informatin.

Rae: There are three main points that the author suggests for improving the topic in the classroom. The first one is to know the standards for your content area and grade level. Second is to make instructional decisions based on authentic assessments through the school year about students’ abilities to use reading and writing to learn. Third is to integrate content literacy practices and strategies into instructional plans and units of study.Kelly: Highly effective teachers can improve the topic in the classroom by constructing lessons that are engaging and challenging to their students. This includes utilizing the background knowledge of their students. These teachers are also familiar with the content standards for their grade/subject, use authentic assessments, and incorporate content literacy practices and strategies into their lessons. Teachers can also instruct their students on how to read, write, and learn as the experts in that content area do. Reading and learning strategies vary throughout different content areas. *Dr. Swanson, when you answered my question to you on our first Wiki post, you said that the strategies we will learn in this class are different from those in READ 4023 because they will focus on the content areas such as social studies and science. Does that mean they will help us learn how to teach students to read/study effectively for that specific content area? This chapter discusses altering reading for different content areas but I do not think I do that. I think I read in the same way for each course I am taking. So I definitely would not be able to teach students how to alter their reading to apply to specific content areas at this point. SWANSON: You will always use different strategies for learning to read to reading to learn. The focus of the strategies is different. The focus on content area strategies is comprehension...... Comprehension is obtained through vocabulary development, engagement, metacognition and sharing of the information with another. This comprehension should be for life-long learning and be able to be applied to other topics. That is different from learning to read when the focus is just getting the reading idea from the story.

CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.



2. Why is reading to learn a strategic, meaning-making process?Shannon-Reading to learn is a strategic, meaning making process because students must develop strategies to use in understanding the words they are reading. They must first understand what they are reading in order to make sense of the world around them and so the world can understand them.
Bethany: Reading to learn is a strategic, meaning-making process because students need to use strategies to make meaning in what they are reading. Students need to know that just reading the words is not all reading is. They need to read the words and make meaning of the words. In order for students to comprehend what they are reading they should be able to decode or pronounce words quickly and accurately, read fluently, know vocabulary, and use strategies to comprehend text.
Rae: Reading to learn is a strategic, meaning-making process because there are many different factors that influence reading to learn in a given environment. The learner’s prior knowledge, learner’s purpose for reading, and text structures that writers use to organize ideas and information are all factors that influence reading to learn. Reading as a meaning-making process involves students “learning how to use reading to construct knowledge in the company of authors, other learners, and teachers”. Reading as a strategic process involves students using a variety of reading strategies to construct meaning. In order for students comprehend text successfully, readers must be able to decode words, read fluently, activate vocabulary knowledge, and use comprehension strategies interrelated. Skilled readers do not use a single strategy to comprehend text. Instead, they use multiple strategies to search for and construct meaning from text. Kelly: Reading to learn is a strategic, meaning-making process because it requires students to use a combination of their background knowledge, decoding skills, knowledge of vocabulary, and reading fluency to help them make sense of what they are reading. Without this process, students are likely to lose out on comprehension because so much of their efforts are focused on reading individual words.

3. Demonstrate the importance of prior learning (schema) has in making reading as a meaning-making process? Shannon-Prior learning is important in making reading a meaning-making process because it provides a framework for learning and making inferences about the text that is being read. It helps to organize and integrate new information allowing the information to be better retained and remembered. Prior knowledge also allows a student to elaborate on information and provides a platform for deeper levels of thinking.

4. Evaluate your skills to the chart on page 21. How good of a reader are you?
Bethany: My reading skills are not all what they should be according to the strategies of good readers. When I read out loud I usually just read the words for everyone else to hear and don't pay attention to what I'm reading. When I read to myself I have to focus on what I'm reading or my brain will think off track while reading something. It also depends what I'm reading. I'm more interested in reading something I can chose then something I'm forced to read. The table in the textbook describes good readers as looking over what they read over first instead of just reading. I think that is a good way for students activate their prior knowledge to what they are about to read. I think as I get older and continue in school I use more reading strategies then I did in high school. I never realized that reading selectively is part of being a good reader. I skim over unimportant parts and focus on important parts of the text I read.
Rae: After evaluating the different skills of a good reader, it is easy to see that there are some strategies of a good reader that I exhibit, while there are others that I do not. While reading, I do make predictions about what is to come next in the text, and look over the text before reading. I am curious to find out what I am reading about, if it is something that will catch my interest. However, as a reader I do not read selectively. I have never really paid close attention to what to read carefully, what to read quickly, what to reread, and so on. I also do not recall reading different kinds of text differently. I have usually just read what I had been told, not thinking of reading the text differently. After looking at the different characteristics and strategies of good readers, there are many good points that I will need to begin to use to help my understanding of text. I have always had a hard time comprehending history and science, but if I take into account these different strategies I will be able to improve my comprehension. Kelly: Before reading the chart, I thought I was a good reader. However, I discovered that I do not utilize very many of the techniques listed. Although I take notes as I read, I never skim the chapter first or formulate questions based on what I think the chapter is going to discuss. Using the SQ3R strategy was very interesting to me. It required me to read the text in a way I have not done before. I think this is a great strategy! It took me longer to read the chapter using SQ3R, but I also think I got more out of the chapter.
Swanson: All readers can improve their reading skills because reading is such a complex process that there is always strong and weak points. Readers, as teachers, should indicate to their students that they are constantly learning to read and remember text better and that all readers have to work at getting better at this craft and art. Students think readers are made by third grade and that is totally wrong. Readers are life-long readers who are learning everyday about something for the future. REaders are always honing their skills to be better comprehenders and communicators. Readers need to work to integrate writing and vice versa. Readers are learning all the time.


5. Authentic question: Interview a content area teacher on effective teaching strategies that he or she uses to engage students in learning.Shannon-I interviewed an exceptional local Science teacher who all the students I spoke to seem to greatly admire. Mrs. Lewis has many strategies that she uses in each of her classes to engage all of her students like allowing individual choices for her students in some activities and assignments to meet their learning goals. She added that it is a goal of hers to provide lessons that are stimulating to all the students reguardless of their academic levels, low or high. Mrs. Lewis also uses only assessments that require high levels of thinking and the example she provided, students use the information they have learned throughout a unit to create scenarios or "what if" questions for the other students to explore. She shared that the students provide input into everything that happens in her classroom and they display a sense of belonging and responsibility for what they are learning and pride that they have achieved great knowledge. (Mrs. Lewis is an amazing teacher and the dedication and admiration that all of the students displayed for her, encourages me to strive to be the same type of educator!)




LEARNING LOG 3
Swanson: You four have an outstanding WIKI.....I love the interaction that you are providing on the topic.

At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Rae: Three main points that the author suggests to improve the topic in your classroom are using wikis, internet workshops, and WebQuest. Swanson: I hope the next time you will elaborate on this. This is a summary question and more should be included.
*How do we help students make meaning of, and evaluate the information available to them through electronic media?
Swanson: I think that when we incorporate the electronic media into the presentation mode of our lessons and show the students the meaning, and evaluation of the technology, then the information "bleeds" into the student's world. In my classroom, when I had them look for sources, we looked for quality sources like org. and edu. and made sure that there were no ~ there. We also made sure that the source was a known name like San Diego Zoo. I always had a list of favorites they could use for starters and explained why these were my favorites.

Shannon-The author suggests using new literacy classrooms as a place of student engagement and I believe that definately improving the topic in the classroom. Improvements can also be made by focusing classrooms to be driven by inquiry and student choice within any topic. Another idea was using specific sociocultural approach to understanding and research literacy, using literacy as a social practice.
*Do you think that it would be more beneficial for existing teachers to focus their continuing education on topics such as new literacies rather than attending other various seminars?
Swanson: New literacies is just one of the multiple literacies that are to be incorporated into the classroom. Thus, you have to be a constant learner in all of the literacies so that you, as teacher, can find the literacy that works best for each student.

Bethany: The author suggest to use new literacies instead of just textbooks. The author believes using wikis,blogs, and other tools on the internet will interest the students in learning the subject more. Doing activities on the internet allow students to get more out of the subject and explore deeper than what an activity with a textbook can do.
*Are there websites on the internet that help teachers pick good websites and other tools for the students to learn from?
There are websites out there for teachers to use. I personally love ReadWriteThink.org as a great site for interactives and lesson plans. As you google, you will find teachers hosting great resource sites. You will just have to write the topic and lesson plans or topic and interactive or topic and games and you will find multiple sources.


Kelly: The topic can be improved by creating a new literacy classroom that utilizes multimodal elements to help engage the students and prepare them for their future in school and the workplace. This includes using WebQuests, internet projects, blogs, and wikis. Students can also demonstrate their understanding of a topic by using new literacies (such as videos, photographs, graphics, art, music, etc.) as a way of writing to learn. Not only do these strategies keep the students engaged, but they are also relevant to the students' lives outside of school.
*Is there information available that would help students learn how to search to find what they're looking for on the internet? I know from my own experience that trying to find out how to phrase what I'm looking for to get the results I want is half the battle!


CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.



2. Why is learning with new literacies essential for implementation into the curriculum?
Rae: Learning new Literacies is essential for implementation into the curriculum because knowing how to use literacies is integral to the strategic knowledge and skills that every student in all content areas will need to develop to be literate in the 21st century. Almost all national education associations have developed standards for students to have proficient use of technologies for information and communication. “New literacies classrooms are places of student engagement, and students take part in a mix of individual and collaborative activities. Shannon- Learning with new literacies is essential for implementation into the cirriculum because it provides each student with personalized instruction and interactive experiences that can motivate students in continued learning.
Kelly: Students need to become literate in all multimodal areas because it will be required of them - in school, their personal lives, and the workplace. Technology is everywhere and students must be able to utilize it to become successful students and adults. Even the lowest paying jobs require some form of knowledge of technology. I also think new literacies help engage students in learning and address different learning styles better than traditional instruction.

3. What are the similarities between the new literacies and the traditional print? What are the differences? What is the same? Use a Venn diagram.Shannon-


4. Why are the new literacies not integrated into the most classrooms?
Rae: New literacies are not integrated into most classrooms because teachers wonder, “How can we help our students be effective reader and writers when our concept of literacy is evolving so rapidly?” It is also harder to help students find, make meaning of, and evaluate the information available to them via electronic media. There are so many immense changes occurring in electronic media, many have trouble keeping up with these changes. There is also the risk of quality control. “A hyperlink can take the reader to potentially untested sites; students need to be taught how to evaluate the links they come across and how to use them wisely.”Bethany: New literacies are not integrated into most classrooms probably because some schools do not have the money to provide teachers with computers for the students to use. Also some teachers may not feel comfortable teaching new literacies because they do not get the training or knowledge needed to know what the new literacies are and how to use them. It is important for teachers to be informed of how quick technology is progressing and how important it is for teachers to keep up with the technology to help teach their students.

5. Authentic question:
Interview a middle-school or high school student about the use of electronic texts. What types of skills and strategies do students need to possess in order to use electronic resources effectively.
Bethany: I interviewed my cousin who is now in ninth grade. She says that it's important for her to be knowledgable about how to use electronic resources effectively. She needs to know the information to type into the webpage and also where to type it in. It's important to have basic knowledge of a computer to get the most out of the electronic resource. She says she loves using electronic text because it's easier than looking through books in the library. She can also find more information using the electronic resources.


Kelly: I interviewed my 8th grade daughter, Megan. She told me the electronic texts she has used in school are the internet (for research), WebQuests, one internet workshop, audio tapes (in Spanish), and DVDs/videos. Several of her classes received SMART boards this year but she has not had the opportunity to use them very much yet. Students need to have at least a basic understanding of computers, the internet, and the keyboard to be able to use the electronic tools effectively. When my daughter was in 6th grade, she was required to take a keyboarding class. She learned how to type correctly and also spent a little bit of time using PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. This has been helpful to her specifically in her language arts, literature, and social studies classes where they do research papers that require word processing skills and the inclusion of graphics or photos.

Swanson: Thank you for the authentic sources. Their points of view are always important in our study of the chapter.


LEARNING LOG 4
Your responses are really really complete and informative. Thank yhou.

At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom

Shannon - Three main points the author suggest that can improve the topic in the classroom are to use the ABC's of cultural understanding and communictation, design lesson plans for connecting school, home, and community for childrens's reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing based on numerous modifications of the model, and learn about family and community values and teach how to value communities and families.*Has a students culture ever inspired you to learn more about a specific culture?Swanson:I had an adoptee whose American parents were interested in helping her learn more about her native Korean culture. We used this desire for her to share and teach all of the students. At the end of the year, some of the students had a basic language knowledge, cultural knowledge, etc. This was wonderful for all of us.
Rae: Three main points that the author suggests to improve the topic in your classroom are to use multicultural books, understand the home culture, ethnic background and community of the students, and to adjust the curriculum to their sociocultural strength. "Multicultural books provide diverse students wich rich opportunities not only to see themselves reflected in the books they read but also to appreciate and celebrate the expereinecs of people of color form the past."Teachers also need to make a point to understand the the home culture, ethinic background, and community of the students. When teachers do this they are in a better position to understand what students bring to learning situations, and adjest the cirriculum to their strengths. This will also build trust in the classroom. *What are some strategies that can be used to respond to individual differences while maintaining standards of content literacy and learning?Swanson: I would research more about differentiation of instruction. This approach helps teachers to meet the needs of all students. In the meantime, I would use reading workshop and writing workshop as the basic approach to reading and writing. That is a mini-lesson, literature or writing groups, small group instruction and editing groups, and teacher conferencing. That was the best way for me to meet the needs of my diverse classroom.Bethany: Three main points the author suggest are to use multicultural books in the classroom for the students to learn about different cultures; to make sure ELL students understand what the the teacher is going over; and to use different strategies for vocabulary development, writing, learning, and reading.*If you are not familiar with an ELL student's primary language, how do you help them understand what is being taught? Swanson: That is so hard. You will talk, talk, talk, show visuals (pictures and movies), scaffold instruction, small group instruction, mentors from anywhere, and more. You will have to give a lot of individual support so you will have to ask others to help. You can't do it alone.Kelly: The author suggests incorporating multicultural literature into the classroom, utilizing students’ funds of knowledge, and allowing students to use dialect in the classroom as ways to improve the topic in the classroom. Using multicultural literature allows students to learn about the roles, values, and ideas of another culture which helps them find similarities between that culture and their own. Utilizing students’ funds of knowledge is a way in which teachers can build on the unique home culture, ethnic background, and community of their students. Not only does this show the teacher’s interest in the student but also builds trust and provides a valuable resource to the teacher and his/her instruction. Using dialect in the classroom has been shown to assist students in becoming more content literate and improves literacy skills. Although students need exposure to Standard American English, using culturally acceptable conversation style or their home language can help students communicate and learn without the barrier of language. * Our book mentions how the American History teacher did not correct the English of his students, rather, let them communicate their ideas freely (pg. 55). My question is this - when is it appropriate to correct a student's English? Should it be left to the language arts teacher as the book suggests? I agree with the chapter that students should be allowed to utilize their linguistic background as a learning tool, but I also think there is a stereotype attached to poor English. My neighbors just moved here from Canada and they ask me to correct them when they mispronounce a word so that they don't appear "ignorant." Where is the line between helping and humiliating?Swanson: When the focus of the discussion is content, then you don't work on English as well formally. You can informally share some correct English by repeating what was said correctly. Then when you go with the focus on discussion or English, then you can be more formal.
CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.



2. What is culturally responsive instruction look like to in the content area classrooms.

Shannon - Culturally responsive instruction is high expectations, positive relationships with families and communities, cultural sensitivity, active teaching methods, teacher as a facilitator, student control of portions of the lesson and instruction around groups and pairs to create low anxiety.

Rae: Culturally responsive instruction is related to students’ ways of knowing, motivation for learning, and their funds of knowledge. “It is instruction that is responsive to cultural differences in the classroom and makes connections with students’ backgrounds, origins, and interests to teach required standards associated with a curriculum.” There are seven characteristics to keep students focused and invested in what is happening…
1. High expectations
2. Positive relationships with families and community
3. Cultural Sensitivity
4. Active teaching methods
5. Teachers as facilitators
6. Students control of portions of the lesson
7. Instruction around groups and pairs to create low anxiety
Bethany: Culturally responsive instruction makes connections with students' backgrounds, origins, and interests. There are seven characteristics of culturally responsive instruction: high expectations, positive relationships with families and community, cultual sensitivity, active teaching methods, teacher as facilitator, student control of portions of the lesson, and instruction around groups and pairs to create low anxiety. When content area classes use these seven characteristics students become more focused, become invested in what is happening, and become academically and socially successful.


Kelly:
Culturally responsive instruction involves making connections to the students’ backgrounds, origins, and interests and incorporating them into the curriculum to help students meet the educational objectives. Teachers who are culturally responsive have positive relationships with their students and families, have high expectations, and are culturally sensitive – as well as other characteristics. In the content area classroom, these teachers label objects in multiple languages, utilize paired learning, use visuals and choral reading, and invite family members to share their culture with the class. They also provide comprehensive input, differentiate between intensive and extensive reading, and utilize vocabulary, learning, reading, and writing strategies. Culturally responsive teachers use the diversity of cultures to enhance the classroom experience of their students.

3. Support sheltered instruction for English-language learners to make content more accessible to them while providing additive language support
Bethany: I'm not sure I understand what this question is asking. Teachers help ELL students by providing the instructional support needed to make grade-level content more accessible while promoting English development. I think that placing them in mainstreamed classes will help them learn because they can observe the other students.
Swanson: Look at the SIOP model which is good for all students...........................


Kelly:
Sheltered Instruction helps students learn discipline-specific content while also improving their English skills. It uses hands-on and visual activities to help teach concepts to students whose skills in English are limited. It also provides instructional strategies for teachers to use that allow them to instruct students at their instructional level while also helping them improve their English skills.
4. Authentic question:
Interview a teacher about the strategies he or she uses to met the needs of students with cultural or linguistic differences within the classroom.
Shannon- I interviewed a middle school teacher who relayed that he used a great deal of cultural responsive instruction characteristics. He responded to the majority of my questions in the same mannor as he said "You must first get to know your students families and honor their culture, wheather you agree with it or not. Without the knowledge and support the child will never be able to learn appropriately in the classroom."


Rae: I interviewed a third grade teacher from Jenks Elementary. She said, “I have made sure that I provided the learning materials appropriate to that language for the student and support materials for the parents. We funnel our news letter through a Spanish speaking aide who interprets them for the parents. We have math and reading fairs for our Hispanic population. I also made sure I did a unit on Mexico and at holidays we discussed the different celebrations. I had our ELL teachers on hand for conferences and communicated personally with an English speaking sister. Since we had Spanish class, the child was helpful with how to correctly pronounce the words for us. She liked that.” She also told me about one of her students that is Korean. Her dad had made a point to say not to point out their culture as he was trying to Americanize his kids. I thought that was very interesting.

LEARNING LOG 5
Swanson: I love your comments and the way that you took the academic information and thought about it and then personalized it. Thank you.

I only see one of Bethany's choices. Did I miss it?

At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Rae: Three points the author suggests to improve the topic in your classroom is to use portfolios, interviews, and self-assessments. Portfolios allow students to reflect on their capabilities and making decisions about their work. It also allows students to display multiple artifacts they have collected overtime. Interviews allow students and teachers to interact in collaborative settings. They are also open-ended in which students can share their own views. Self-assessments allow students to set goals and to share how they think and feel. It is also a good way to see students’ perceptions of their achievements. *Are they other forms of informal assessment not mentioned in the book that maybe you have used?
Swanson: There is peer and self assessments, writing samples, homework, games, debates, brainstorming, story retelling questionnaires, miscue analysis and more. The multiple ways to assess looking for the specific, real-life information is great.
Bethany: One point the authors suggest to improve the topic in the classroom are to use informal assessments such as portfolios,observations, discussions, and checklists. Another point they suggest is that students need to play a role in the assessment of their own literacy products and processes by using rubrics. Another point they suggest is to assess text difficulty. It's good for the teacher to assess the text to make sure it's appealing and appropriate for the students.*In your opinion is there a specific assessment that students like more than the other?
Swanson: I feel l that self assessment comparing the rubric and the product is the best. Some kids are too lenient and some are too hard so the teacher has to guide it initially. I don't like kids grading other kids products.
The best assessment is an assessment when the student helps create his/her rubric with the class and then s/he has to grade self. It is awesome to see how many A+ products you get when the students know what is an A+


Kelly: The authors suggest using authentic assessments, portfolios, and Content Area Reading Inventories (CARIs) as ways to improve the topic in the classroom. In authentic assessment, the teacher is the primary tool. It involves using a variety of strategies to assess the student over a period of time. Observations, interviews, and portfolios are all tools teachers can use in addition to traditional testing methods to obtain an overall assessment of progress by the student and/or plan instruction. Portfolios are particularly useful because it involves the student by reflecting on his/her work and assisting with choosing what to include. They show a student’s work over a longer period of time and indicate the specific student’s growth – rather than scoring the student as he/she compares to others. CARIs are teacher-produced informal tests that assess the student on the reading materials being utilized in class. It is very useful to teachers because it provides information that will assist them in adjusting instruction where needed.
*As a beginning teacher, I think it would be very easy fall into the trap of "teaching to the test" because the process will be so new. Do you have any suggestions for how to avoid this? I have heard from so many students about how their teachers say things like "You need to know this because it will be on the test!"t
Swanson: First of all, the teacher can't and shouldn't know what is on the test except the general...like math. Other than that, it can be a general suggestion.
Research says reading is the most important skill in a test taking situation. Thus, the teacher should teach students to read expository text as much as possible and be able to find the topic, the supporting ideas, how to find out words, the possible title, and a copy of obvious inference questions.


Shannon-The author suggest using informal assessments in the classroom such as portfolios and also content area reading inventories. I think that it is very important when assessing students to use a variety of assessment techniques. I think students like the variety and for some students it is about continued growth rather than a single test score that aids in motivating them.

*Is there as assessment technique that you have used that seemed to be really stressful for the majority of your students?
Swanson: I think the standardized tests are extremely stressful. The stress is not only put on the students but also on the teachers, and parents. Sometimes these tests determine student placement, teacher salary, and more. I don't see how one test on one day at one time can be used to measure so much.

Another stressful time is when a benchmark came around and there was not time to prepare the kids. For example, when we were testing division, I had a group of students who didn't know the multiplication/division facts cold. They knew how to do the work but they were getting the wrong answers or couldn't find the right answers because they made a "silly" fact test.



CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.

2. How does a formal, high stakes approach differ from an informal authentic approach? What are the plusses, minuses and interesting facts of each kind of testing?

Rae: High stakes approach differ from an informal authentic approach in that informal authentic approaches are developed by teachers and students while high-stakes are developed by expert committees. Authentic is continuously evolving and intermittent throughout an instructional unit while high-stakes testing is a one time performance given to groups at one seating.

	Plusses	Minuses	Interesting facts
Formal, High stakes	-sound strategy to use to ensure that standards are met -ensure students are achieving as an appropriate level of proficiency -can help schools identify areas of weakness in programs	-require significant amount of time, and resources -paint incomplete picture of students reading capabilities -students are being labeled	-tests have been administered to younger and younger children -first standard test was developed in the 20th century -the amount of testing has increased
Informal, Authentic	-can identify specific target behaviors or academic skills -can help with communicating to parents or schools -can be used to develop intervention strategies to enhance learning -provide meaningful portfolio entries	-“No matter how careful we are, we will be biased in many of our judgments” -must be available for discussions about general topics, lessons, and assignment.	-Observation should be a natural outgrowth of teaching; it increases teaching efficiency and effectiveness.

Bethany: Formal, high stake approach in different from informal, authentic approach because formal approach is a test usually made up by expert committees and test publishers and informal is an assessment that is developed by the teacher or student. A plus about formal approach is the teacher and school officials can test students on the same questions and subject matter to see how well students are understanding the material being taught to them. A minus is some students may know the content, but they can be horrible test takers and do bad just because it's a test. An interesting fact about formal testing is in order for schools to receive federal funding for education, No Child Left Behind requires states to develop and implement a standardized accountability program that shows whether teir public schools have achieved adequate yearly progress. Informal approach is a plus because it allows students to show what they can do without the restrictions a test has. It can also be more exciting for the students to assess their progress through a portfolio then through a test. I minus is there is not a set way in how to judge an informal assessment and some teachers can be harder on others without realizing it. An interesting fact about informal assessment is that it is continuously evolving and intermittent throughout an instuctional unit.

3. What is your opinion of assessment? What can you do to make sure that you are assessing

what you want to assess? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ASSESS?
Bethany: I think that assessing students is important in knowing how your students are learning and what needs to be taught so they are learning what they should. In order for me to make sure I am assessing what I want to assess, I can make a list of what I want to assess my students with and look at different sources about assessment and what needs to be assessed. The main thing I want to assess is the students' progress. I want to make sure that I'm teaching them in a way that helps them. I also want to assess their comprehension skills and other skills they should have at their grade level.

Kelly: I think assessment is one of the most difficult areas of teaching – particularly now with so much political involvement in educational issues. I think authentic testing is an excellent method for classroom teachers. I definitely believe it is the most accurate reflection of a student’s abilities. The challenge is to perform authentic assessments while also preparing students for high-stakes tests since they are required to take them. Deciding what to assess is determined when the unit/lesson is being planned. A teacher must first determine the objective, and then decide how students will demonstrate their understanding of the material. This is what guides the teacher on what to teach. I want to assess their progress and competency in the material. If I am utilizing authentic, informal testing then I will be able to adjust my instruction based on the findings of my observations.
Shannon - I think that assessment is very important in understanding what the students know, what they need to know and what concepts they may have missed or not fully understood. I also think that students being invloved in selecting assessment methods or in actually performing self assessments are a huge motivator for themselves and they own their learning and strive to perform their best. I would like to be able to assess anything with a variety of styles and find new ways of assessing the students work.

4. Authentic Question:
Interview a classroom teacher on how the current educational policy decisions and/or high-stakes testing requirements have impacted his or her teaching practices.Thank you for getting real responses to real ideas.
Kelly: I interviewed a third-grade teacher about high-stakes testing. She said, “NCLB is the worst thing to happen to kids.” She is very much opposed to high-stakes tests and the emphasis placed on them by administrators. She told me, “They (administrators) only care about the numbers.” She has taught at her school for 21 years (always in third grade) and has numerous students who come from “difficult” home situations. She said I need to always take care to get to know my students, and then gave me an example of a time when she had to answer to several of her students’ low OCCT scores. She explained to the administrators that one of those student’s mother had left his dad six months prior to the test. Then two weeks before the test, his father attempted suicide. Her argument to the administrators was that on that particular day (the day of the test), that student could not have cared less about how he performed on the test. She said knowing her students’ backgrounds and continually assessing their performance in informal ways is a much better indicator of each individual student’s growth – and also provides her with documentation if a student does not perform well on a standardized test.
Shannon - I spoke to a few of the teachers at our elementary school and they all seemed to have the same response, everyone of them said you teach to the test, you practice for the test and you just hope you have a little time left over to actually get the students excited about learning and hopefully find someway to encourage them to continue to want to learn. This was horribly sad. The teachers are feeling very frustrated with all the focus on "the test" and that they don't feel like they are able to have fun with the students and show them that learning can be fun.

Rae: I interviewed a teacher from Jenks. She had alot fo say about high-stakes testing, and was very opposed to it. "Well, we teach to the test, we spent 1 whole inservice day evaluating our test scores and pulling items we need to print or do this next year. We have our test prep materials printed already. I send some home for homework each week. We teach reading and math strategies and problem solving, and do a lot of writing! The second half of the the time is drill and prep. It would be far worse to be placed on the needs improvement list. I have the experience to merge the 2 worlds effeciently-new teaachers would not. How do you say you have a perfect score now you can't even drop one percent or you will go on the list? How do we account the parents in the formula? The Language barriers, special needs like ADD. You can only have a small percentage of special ed or you get points off!! Testing can be helpful but someone who knows how should rewrite the 4th grade reading test and someone else should write the rules!"







LEARNING LOG 6


At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom

Rae: Three main points the authors suggest to improving the topic in your classroom is to use cooperative learning through jigsaw groups, learning circles, and group investigations. Jigsaw teaching requires students to specialize in a content literacy task that contributes to an overall group objective. Jigsaws are composed of students divided into three or six members. Learning circles mesh whole-group study with small-group interactions and discussions. Learning circles are comprised of two to six members. In group investigations students can be combined in teams of two to six to collaborate on inquiry topics that interest them within the context of a thematic unit and the major concepts of study.
Shannon-The forethought that goes into planning instructional frameworks that support thinking and learning with texts is an important suggestion the author makes in the chapter. This can be accomplished by thinking through of text-centered lessons and units of study revolving around what students need to learn. It is also important to use strategies and activities that will facilitate learning. The third important factor to planning is finding texts that serve as vehicles for learning is most important.

*How do teachers find enough time to plan each lesson to the quality they should?

Bethany: Three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in my own classroom are to use strategies and activities to help the students comprehend and remember the topic being taught, to write an effective lesson plan, and to let the students work in groups and be involved in discussion.
* In your experience, do you feel students stay on task well enough to do group activities and strategies to aide in their learning?
Kelly: Three ways to improve the topic in the classroom are by utilizing a B-D-A instructional framework, branching out in units of study, and through using cooperative learning. The B-D-A instructional framework is a planning technique that incorporates before-reading, during-reading, and after-reading instruction strategies and activities into the content area. Units of study provide the teacher more options and opportunities to branch out with a wide variety of text options rather than just the textbook alone. Cooperative learning, such as jigsaw groups and learning circles, utilizes large and small groups of varying ability levels that work together to achieve a common goal or task.
* In two of my courses at NSU, the textbooks and/or professors advocated heterogeneous cooperative learning groups. However, in another course, my professor is strongly opposed to heterogeneous groups. Is this a difference between the developmental levels of young children versus middle and secondary students, or is it a difference of opinion? I can see the pros and cons to both sides.




CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.

2. What is involved in designing a text lesson based on a B-D-A instructional framework?
Rae: The instructional framework can help teachers incorporate instructions strategies and activities into lessons involving content literacy and learning. The lesson does not have to take place in a single class session; several meetings may be needed to achieve the objectives in a single class. In the before reading stage, the teacher wants to establish purpose, activate background knowledge, sustain motivation, and provide direction. The teacher really wants students to think with texts as they engage in literacy-related learning. Next is during the reading phase. During the reading phase of the lesson, the students explore the questions. The questions are used to tap into the students’ prior knowledge and their conceptions of probability. The teacher also wants to help guide an active search for meaning. The last phase of the instructional framework is after-reading. During the after reading phase, students extend and elaborate ideas from the text. The stage is used to clarify idea encountered before and during reading. “Writing activities, study guides, and other after-reading practices are springboards to thinking and form the basis for discussing and articulating ideas developed through reading.”

Kelly: To design a text lesson based on a B-D-A instructional framework, the teacher should first create activities to complete before reading that will lessen anxiety about the topic, activate background knowledge, and motivate students about the topic to be learned. During reading, the teacher should help guide the students through the text and help them connect to the text. In the after-reading stage, the teacher plans activities that will clarify and elaborate ideas learned in the unit.



3. How can teachers modify lesson plans to be more student centered inquiry based to connect literacy learning?
Rae: Teachers can modify lesson plans to be more student centered and inquiry based to connect literacy learning by making identifying questions and problems as important in your classroom as finding answers. Teachers can provide frequent opportunities to compare, contrast, and synthesize information from multiple sources. Teachers can also present findings of research in a variety of products and formats including: charts, graphs, and visual or performing arts. “The teacher must carefully plan inquiry-centered projects, giving just the right amount of direction to allow students to explore and discover ideas on their own.” Shannon-Student centered inquiry based lessons require integration of whole class, small group, and individual learning opportunities. Whole class presentation is an economical means of giving information to students when the classroom context lends itself to information sharing. A whole class activity, maybe used to set the stage for a new thematic unit. However modifing lessons to be student centered requires the use of collaborative interactions between teacher and student and among students is a must to produce the volume of participation necessary to engage students in active learning situations.Bethany: Teachers can modify lesson plans to be more student centered inquiry based to connect literacy learning by letting the students think for themselves and use problem solving skills. They can begin the discussion, but let the students take over and use their own knowledge to carry on the discussion. The teacher can assess what the students say and see if they comprehend the topic that is being discussed. I believe student centered teaching is a better way for students to learn because they learn from each other.

4. How can content area teachers plan and design instruction for all students to actively engage and motivate participation for literacy-related activities?
Shannon-Teachers plan instructional activities for content literacy lessons varies by grade level and the sophistication of the students. Active instruction is found in using the inquiry process as the teacher plans inquiry-centered activities, without bombarding students with to much direction and instruction, they enjoy exploring to find answers and expanding on their theories and ideas.

5. Research states Bloom's Taxonomy or another questioning taxonomy benefits comprehension greatly. Why do you think this is so?
Bethany: I think Bloom’s Taxonomy benefits comprehension greatly because it aides the teachers to think of questions a ways to get their students to think at a higher level. It is a good tool to look at when writing quality questions for a test.


Kelly: Bloom’s Taxonomy contains six classifications of questions of varying degrees of difficulty. Because of these different “levels” of questions, teachers can construct questions that assess a student’s understanding of the material by asking a student to recall information, apply their knowledge, compare/contrast concepts, etc. Using questions with different purposes such as these will increase a student’s critical thinking skills and comprehension of the topic.



6.. Authentic question

Visit a classroom and note the details about the discourse which is taking place in a discussion format.

WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?
Rae: After reading the text set, the use of other books and electronic resources allows students to make a better connection with the topic. For example, in history, instead of students just reading facts and dates, students could read a personal account of an experience or interview someone who experienced the event. This allows students to better understand what they are learning, making a connection, and activating background knowledge. Text set collections of resources from different genre, media, and levels of reading difficulty are more supportive of learners with a range of experiences and interests than any single text.
Bethany: I think that after reading the text set it lets children look at the topic in many perspectives and different ways. The teacher can use different resources to appeal to all learning styles. They can explore through books and also electronic resources to find more information then the textbook. The internet is also a good way to get different perspectives on what the topic is the class is learning and exploring.

Kelly: I loved the text set. After reviewing them, it is easy to see how they each provide a unique experience to the same topic. Because students have different interests and learning styles, using text sets and electronic resources in combination with the textbook (or even in place of) help their understanding by appealing to their interests, ability levels, learning styles, and prior knowledge. I think I would have learned so much more about history if I'd had the opportunity to experience it like this!


LEARNING LOG 7

Super thinking from all of you. I can see that this content is making sense and becoming internalized so that you will apply it into your classroom. This wiki is outstanding. THANK YOU


At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Rae: Three main points the author suggests to improve the topic in your classroom is to establish problematic perspectives, use guided imagery, and make predictions. Creating problems to be solved or perspectives from which readers approach text material provides an imaginative entry into a text selection. Guided ability allows students to visualize what they are reading, and it is an important component for developing comprehension. Making predictions allow students to activate thought about the content before reading. Students must rely on what they know through previous study and experiences to make educated guessed about the material to be read.
Kelly – Three main points the author suggests to improve the topic in the classroom are to activate prior knowledge and motivate students by arousing their curiosity, generating questions, and asking students to make predictions. Teachers arouse students’ curiosity by presenting them with conceptual conflicts that must be resolved. This helps them to be aware as they are reading. Teachers also help students form questions about what they are about to read. This too will provide them a purpose for reading. Asking students to make predictions will call on their background knowledge to make an educated guess about what they think is likely to happen in the story.
*Kelly - This may be a bit off topic, but what initiated the shift of teaching from being teacher-directed to more student-directed? We learn so many different strategies, as well as a constructivist way of teaching, that are so contrary to the way I was taught (I am 39 years old). At what point did this change and what prompted it?


Shannon- Three main points that the author suggests to improve the topic in the classroom are arousing curiosity, generating questions and making predictions. All three are important in building self-efficacy and in motivating students as well. They are all also fundametals in activating prior knowledge and interest in the students and making the students want to learn.
*It seems like the classroom teachers don't have enough time to really provide the students everything they need to get the most out of a lesson. How do you reach out to those passive participants in class and provide new approaches and ideas to them when you are already struggling to cover the needed material?ep

Swanson: The first step is motivation and the second step is engagement based on preferred learning styles. I also like choices. The passive are passive because noone has reached to them and invited them into learning.

Bethany: Three main points the authors suggests to improve the topic in the classroom are to get students motivated and confident in what they're reading, arouse their curiosity and activate their prior kknowledge, and to get the student to make predictions. These ways to improve the topic will help the students comprehend what they are reading.
*After being in this program for a couple semesters I've been wondering how long a teacher actually spends preparing lesson plans? It seems like there's so much to do that classroom preperation is all they do. Is this true?
Swanson: Lesson planning at first is very very time consuming. But soon, you will be thinking of B....D....A....activities to incorporate to teach the lesson. The lesson plans we do in class here is to get you to thinking in a particular mode. Once you have a couple of years of good lesson plans, you will be able to tweak them to match your class and purpose.BEWARE of relying on the teacher's manual for lesson plans....they teach to the middle...and you don't want to lose both ends of your class, do you?


CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.

2. How can this and other text sets activate knowledge and interest?
Rae: This text set and other text sets activate knowledge and interest because it allows readers to make a connection to what they are about to read. Through a traditional text book, it is hard to connect with the material and activate knowledge because the book is simply uninteresting. However, using different medias, such as book with a more personal account or the internet, students are able to make a personal connection to the material. Students are able to see events take place through the eyes of those who lived it, not through old white men.
Kelly – This text set is great because it provides a variety of avenues from which to obtain the information. This method of instruction will appeal to multiple learning styles, interests, and ability levels.
Shannon - Text sets are great for activating knowledge and interest because each individual student has a choice within the materials. Some students will connect to materials they other students may not like.
Rae
Bethany: I think text sets activate knowledge and interest because they can be more interesting to read then a textbook. I think that reading a book with some pictures and better context is more interesting then a textbook written with facts. It's also good to let the students read fictional books with some factual information in them. Students will enjoy a variety of books better then a textbook they're required to read.

3. Why do prereading strategies and activities help with prior knowledge and raise interest in the subject?
Rae: Prereading strategies and activities help with prior knowledge and raise interest in the subject because students are able to get an idea of what they are about to read. Arousing curiosity and activating prior knowledge gives students the chance to consider what they know already about the material to be read. This then allows students to make connections, and to relate their knowledge to the reading. Prereading strategies and activities also helps students raise questions that they can answer only by giving thought to what they read.
Kelly – Pre-reading strategies and activities help with prior knowledge and raise interest in the subject by pulling the students’ prior knowledge and experiences to the forefront so that they can use it as a base from which to build new knowledge. New information cannot come from thin air – it must be built upon something else. Before learning all the various strategies, I pretty much just jumped in and starting reading ... hoping something would stick! Now, I try to skim through the chapter and read all the headings and subheadings and compare it to what I already know. Sometimes I read the summary before I read the chapter so that I get an idea of where it’s going. I also write things down, usually in some form of chart or graph, so that I can visualize what I have read. I have an easier time remembering how information looks on the page.
Shannon - prereading strategies and activities can help with prior knowledge and raise interest in students in motivating them. Some students feel like they already have some understanding of the subject and therefore think that it is not so overwhelming of difficult to learn. Other students look at it as a challenge, they want to find the answers and read the material and display higher levels of self-efficacy when using these strategies.

4. Schema theory and visualizations are critical for opening a reader's mind for learning.

5. What are three ways you personally use to help open you mind for learning?

Bethany: Three ways I personally use to help open my mind for learning are: be prepared for the topic, focus on what's being taught, and make sure I'm not hungry. That last one is because if I'm hungry I can't focus on the material; just on getting out and eating.
WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?
Rae: These books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding because it allows students to see the different points of views from the same event. It really allows students to draw on their knowledge, and make a connection with what they are reading better than a traditional text book would. All students come from different backgrounds with different experiences, so it is really important to make sure books and electronic sources show different experiences. With the use of other materials, showing different points of view, students are better able to understand the topic.
Kelly – The text set is great! This is one of my favorite concepts we have learned about in the teaching program. Students are so diverse – not only in their culture and ethnicity, but also in how they learn, their interests, and their levels of ability. Text sets can be as diverse as the students we teach, which will hopefully guarantee that we offer something that will appeal to each of our students. In this particular text set, I like the “Meet Young Immigrants” on Scholastic’s page. I found this interesting because it gives a personal and current reflection of immigration.
Shannon - I like this text set because of the variety of students today all need something a little different to make that personal connection so that they recieve the necessary information for understanding.

Bethany: I think this text set can help with understanding because it is a variety of ways the students can study about immigration. The websites were good for pictures and video so the students can see the conditions the immigrants went through. I especially like the last book, At Ellis Island by Louise Peacock, because it had information with a story told by a little girl. I think it's easier to understand the topic better when the topic is shown in different ways other than a textbook.
LEARNING LOG 8


At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Shannon - Three main points that the author suggests will improve the topic in the classroom are using Instructional strategies like the KWL or Discussion Web, Reading guides like the three level comprehension guide and Modeling Comprehension Strategies like Think-Alouds or QARs.

Rae: Three main points the author suggests to improving the topic in your classroom are to model comprehension strategies, use instructional strategies, and use reading guides. Teachers can incorporate think-alouds, reciprocal teaching, QARs, and QtAs into their instructional routines to show students how to read, think, and learn with specific texts. Teachers can use instructional strategies to engage students in reading, guide their interactions with texts, and help them clarify and extend meaning. A reading guide can provide instructional support as students need it. “It not only influences content acquisitions but also prompts higher-order thinking.

Kelly: Three ways to improve the topic in the classroom are by providing explicit instruction in the use of comprehension strategies, engaging students through the use of instructional strategies, and by using reading guides to help students respond to the text as they read it. By modeling how to interact with texts and scaffolding instruction, teachers can provide strategies to students that help them how to learn through reading.

*Kelly: The local news reported that both Jenks and Broken Arrow school districts are denying the new law that allows the parents of special needs students the option to receive the money that district receives for the child to place him/her in a private school. I think the schools stated the new law goes against the Oklahoma constitution. What are your feelings about this? If I am a parent of a special need child who is not being served appropriately in the school district, where I lived I would be really really mad and I would start a suit. I can understand why the school district is saying no because of the cost of the services they will have to fork out to the other school. Some of these districts have programs which can be used (example, Jenks) but once the school district has not met the child's IEP, then another option must be in place. I am a grandparent of a 5 year old speech IEP and he needs help now. He is really really bright but is unable to express himself. He will be bullied, will hate school, will not be a happy child unless he can learn to communicate in an effective manner. IF the school district did not do what was necessary, I would be the first one to file a suit (in Oklahoma). Right now he is in NM and he has two teachers for seven students. Where would you find that here?
Bethany: Three topics the authors mention to improve the topic are to use comprehension strategies like QARs and QtA, to use instructional strategies like KWL charts and DR-TA, and to use teacher-prepared reading guides to guide reading.
*Has there been a time that was extremely hard for you to help students comprehend what you teach them?
Swanson: There will always be times when the lesson bombs. Then you just get up the next day, and teach it another way or have more background knowledge or connectiveness involved. If the lesson bombs generally, then it is the teacher's fault. :


CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.
2. Engagement in the reading process is the key for great comprehension. What are additional ways teachers can stress to activate engagement?
Shannon - Active engagement is a must in the reading process, I like the reciprocal teaching method that can be used to model comprehension activities with students. The students are engaged as they assume the role of the teacher. Students still recieve support when they are faced with difficulty and the teacher can provide assistance but you also withdraw the assistance when it is no longer needed so that the students remain engaged and continue to learn.

Rae: There are several research-based comprehension strategies that show students how to be active engaged readers: think-alouds, questions-answer relationships, QARs, reciprocal teaching, QtA. “When these strategies are adapted to meet the textual and conceptual demands of a discipline, they not only model comprehension strategies but also engage learners in meaningful talk and discussion about the content under study.” There are also several comprehension-centered instructional activities that guide students’ interaction with texts. They are designed to help students clarify and extend meaning as they engage in reading. KWL charts, DR-TA, and GRP can be used for active engagement.

Kelly: Teachers can help activate students’ engagement by using their interests whenever possible. Students will become absorbed in something they are interested in learning. This can be achieved through observation and discussions with students to find out their interests. This can also be achieved through offering choices in projects that appeal to various learning styles and the multiple intelligences. Text sets that utilize multi-media resources also appeal to a wider variety of students and their interests.
Bethany: Teachers can help activate engagement for students by getting them interested in what they are going to read before they start reading. They can use different strategies to engage the students in the reading so they will be able to comprehend what they are about to read. Teachers need to pick topics and books that they think the students will enjoy reading because if the students enjoy what they are reading, then they will be more motivated to pay attention to what they are reading. Therefore, this will help with their comprehension.


3. Why do motivation and connectiveness help with engagement?
Shannon - Motivation and connectedness help with student engagement because if students believe they have a good chance at succeeding at a task they are likely to exhibit the willingness to complete the task you have given them.


Kelly: Motivation and connectiveness help with engagement because it gives the student a purpose for learning. If children can see the way in which the information is useful to them, by making that personal connection, they will inherently become motivated to learn it.
Bethany: Motivation and connectiveness help with engagement because if students feel motivated to do something then they are more likey to be engaged in what is being taught. Also if they connect with what is being taught then they will become more engaged with what they are doing.

1. Authentic question

Observe a teacher in a content area classroom, observing the questioning strategies the teacher uses.
Rae: I was not able to observe a teacher. However, I was able to interview one. I asked her, “What questioning strategies do you use to engage students before reading a text?” She said, “That it depends on whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Fiction we make predictions so I may ask what they think based on the pictures, title, whatever they see. Then we read the opening and I direct them in a discussion of what the writer is doing, are they engaging us? Are we getting a setting, characters? Are there any inferences yet? We make connections-text to text, text to self, text to the world. This can also be done with nonfiction-not the story mapping part. We have a questioning sheet we use or sticky notes. I read and they record questions they have as I read and if I answer a question they record it next to the question. We discuss how not all questions are answered in that article which is why people do research. I try to use different levels of questioning: knowledge, application, analysis etc after reading.”There should be questioning strategies even before on the non-fiction text. That is prior knowledge development.


WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?
Shannon - I think this text set can help students to learn about the Western Movement through different viewpoints authors present. Students have a choice of materials and added motivation to learn given options.

Kelly: I really enjoyed this text set. I especially liked I Have Heard of a Land, Prairie Primer A to Z, and the ThinkQuest site. The illustrations in those two books were beautiful and I like that the website posed questions as links to more information. Actually, all the websites you've shown us have been great. It is almost overwhelming the amout of good information that is on the internet!

Bethany: This text set can motivate students to learn more about the Western Movement because of the variety of books and electronic resources. It is more enjoyable and interesting for students to read different books or interact with websites then it is to read about it through a textbook. Giving them a variety of reading materials will help motivate them to understand what they are reading.

Rae: These books and electronic resources help with topic understanding beucase they provide a variety of views other than what comes right out of the textbook. I espeically liked the book Westward to Home because it provides children with a personal account from someone of their age. It really allows the children to connect with what they are reading instead of just reading something because it was assigned.

Especially in the westward movement, children and women are left out. My ancestors walked from Missouri to Kansas to Oklahoma. Only the man who could handle the horses and the wagon had a ride. I don't think my grandkids could walk from the car to the mall on a hot summer day and my ancestors walked for days during the summer.

LEARNING LOG 9
Thank you for really doing an exemplary job. I really also like the text set because it is so different than the textbook. Also, if you were to read about this war in another state, the name, the focus, the name of the battles, might be very different. We are reading in the textbook the Northern version. Also, did you know that the Civil War was very active in Oklahoma?



At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Rae: Three main points the author suggests to improving the topic in your classroom are to use word exploration, graphic organizers, and vocabulary building strategies. Word exploration is a writing to learn strategy that works well as a vocabulary activity. It allows students to write quickly and spontaneously without concern about spelling, neatness, grammar, or punctuation. Most importantly it allows students to get down everything on paper that the student knows about the topic or target concept. A graphic organizer is a diagram that uses content vocabulary to help students anticipate concept and their relationships to one another in what they are reading. Vocabulary building strategies demonstrate to students how to use context, word structure, and the dictionary. With the strategies, students can search for information clues while reading so that they can closely guess the meaning of unknown words. Clues include: typographic clues, syntactic and semantic clues.
Shannon- Three main points the author suggests to improve the topic within the classroom are activating prior knowledge about words, reinforcing and extending vocabulary knowledge, and using vocabulary building strategies.

Bethany: I think that three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic are to use different strategies for vocabulary, to show students how words are related to each other, and to use conceptional activities.


Kelly: Three ways to improve the topic in the classroom are by giving students many opportunities to build vocabulary knowledge, to help them learn how words are conceptually related to each other, and to help them understand the contextual meaning within the material they are studying. Providing direct instruction of tier-3 vocabulary words is one way to help build students’ vocabulary. Graphic organizers, such as word sorts and magic squares, are a great way to help students see the relationship between words and concepts. Teachers can also provide instruction on using context clues, such as typographic clues and syntactic and semantic clues, to help determine the meaning of an unknown word.

*With the hundreds of strategies available, why are more teachers not utilizing them? (Aside from my Pre-I experience, my experience with teachers is limited to my own children’s teachers.) I still see them doing activities such as weekly spelling tests, looking up vocabulary words in the dictionary, and memorizing lists of Latin root words – all activities we are learning that are NOT meaningful activities. Is the concept of strategies a new one that seasoned teachers haven’t been exposed to or are they just being “set in their ways?”Swanson: I don't know why they don't use them. Some research say that teachers go back to the way they are taught even though they know there are better ways. Other research say that it is the supervising teacher or the school board who wants the "standard" way. Others say that teachers don't want to put in the time to develop appropriate lessons and would just want to rely on teacher's manuals and worksheets. If we know by research, that students must have research-based reading and writing strategies and graphic organizers to learn, we must start the "trend" and then help others with the practices. I think the majority of the problem is that teachers don't know the differences which are not advocated in university classrooms today.


CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.

2. Why should students know the word structure (Greek and Latin roots and history)?
Shannon - Students should understand the word structure because many times it can give students hints to figuring out unknow words. Words hidden within the word may give some clues to at least a partial meaning and students can use their prior knowledge to make better assumptions when they are not sure of a word.

Bethany: I think that students should know the word structure because it can help them understand the meaning of the word better. By breaking down the word it can help students remember what the meaning of that word is without having to memorize a long definition.

Kelly: I think knowledge of Greek/Latin roots and history would be significantly beneficial to students’ vocabulary knowledge, pronunciation of words, and spelling ability. It seems like the English language has more “exceptions” than it does “rules.” However, when you learn the etymology of words, English really isn’t as crazy as it seems. Unfortunately, without knowledge of a word’s history and root word, those connections cannot be made. Then the only option the student has is to “look it up” or memorize it.




3. Why should the language of an academic discipline be taught within the context of concept development?

4. What activities for vocabulary concept development help student define words?
Rae: The vocabulary self-collection strategy (VSS) and concept of definition word maps (CD word maps) are two instructional strategies that make students aware of and build learning strategies for defining words. Both activities have students use their texts to determine how words are definite in their natural context. “VSS promotes the long-term acquisitions of language in an academic discipline.” Students then learn how to make decisions related to the importance of concept and use context to determine what words mean. CD word maps provide a framework for organizing conceptual information in the process of defining a word.
Shannon- Word Exploration is a writing to learn strategy and brainstorming is a procedure that quickly allows students to generate what they know about a key concept so they can build on that knowledge, are both activities for vocabulary concept development.

Bethany: A couple activities for vocabulary concept development that help students define words are vocabulary self-collection strategy and concept of definition word maps. Vocabulary self-collection strategy helps students define words because it helps them make decisions realted to the importance of concepts and how to use context to determine what words mean. This strategy helps students build independence in vocabulary and it is also helpful to all levels of learning. Concept of definition word maps help students define words because it allows them to construct meaning for unknown words they come across in the text. It helps them internalize a strategy for defining and clarifying the meaning of the unknown words.


Kelly: A Concept of definition word map uses conceptual information such as class/category, attributes/characteristics, and illustrations along with the definition of a word to help students with vocabulary concept development. Concept circles and semantic feature analysis are also examples of strategic activities that help students define words and understand concept.


5. Authentic Question:

Visit a middle level classroom and observe how the teacher develops general and technical vocabulary
Rae: I was not able to visit a classroom, but I did ask the teacher, “How do you develop general and technical vocabulary?” She said, “We have a set vocabulary for SS and science based on our units of study. We start pretesting to see which words need more focus then we use those words and a program called academic vocab. We have a booklet that we use for each word then we do activities with the words, some games and quizzes. We also have a word work station that we use words outside of science and social studies, figurative language, poetry, synonym and antonym words. In writing, we look for vocabulary expansion in already published pieces. We do preview vocabulary of novel studies for lower level readers and we do context clue demos for the higher level kids.”
Swanson: The academic vocabulary is a set of words suggested by a small group of teachers for the State of Oklahoma. Many of these words do not fit the curriculum standards. For example, for First Grade the words are all of the oceans, including the Southern Ocean, when the curriculum states the objectives are me and my immediate environment. I know these words are important but just testing them and doing a booklet will not help with the multiple exposures in meaningful contents that research said is needed for the word to go into long term memory.

WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?
Bethany: I like the electronic resources chosen because it seemed like a good way to envolve the students in the Civil War. It is much more appealing to explore a website then to read a boring textbook. The book Lincoln by Russell Freedman is a good book to look at to explore Lincoln's life before he was president. Just by skimming the book I could tell that the information was more than a textbook could have. My professor for READ 4023 (?) read us the book Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. I remember how much I liked it because it made me think of the connections people had during the war. I loved the illustrations and the feeling that the book gave me. It would be a very good book to share with the class. I think that this text set on the Civil War is a good selection of books and electronic resources for students to understand the topic better. It'll make them more interested in the Civil War then if they were to read a chapter from a textbook.

Kelly: The text sets are amazing! I never enjoyed history or social studies when I was a kid. It was probably because it was so boring and did not relate to me at all. The books and websites that are available to kids now make it so much more enjoyable and real. From this particular text set, I really liked the Civil War photographs site. I think seeing pictures really helps kids understand what they are reading. I saw a picture of the stone entrance to St. Augustine, FL. Those same stone pillars are still there today. It is interesting to see the old photographs. I also love the books. There are so many available that would appeal to a wide variety of students' interests. I think historical fiction is such a great genre because it helps stimulate interest, which will help them in learning "real" history.

Rae: I really enjoyed the text set! The book on Lincoln was a good book to really show you what he was other than a president. It allows children to get really get an inside view of him, not just knowing him as honest Abe. I also really liked the book from Patricia Polacco. Its such a great book for children to build connections with the characters in the book. This will allow them to activate their background knowledge and build upon their existing knowledge with new knowledge. It is so important that children are able to make connections to what they are reading! The text set was perfect for this!

Shannon- I think students using this text set instead of a standard textbook will be provided a better connection to the Civil War. In The Journal of James Edmond Pease by Jim Murphy, students can really connect to this person as they write rather than reading about what an author wants you to know. I also think that each student can find something within this text set that allows them more ease as they study such a harsh subject!



LEARNING LOG 10


At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Shannon - The author suggests that writing across the ciriculum should include integrating reading and writing. The author also suggest to use academic journals, writing in disciplines and writing to learn as ways to improve the topic within the classroom.

• Is it important to use a variety of journals; the response journal, learning log, and double-entry journals or is it more important to just be consistant in haveing the students use journals?

Kelly: Three main ways to improve the topic in the classroom are by teaching reading and writing together, using Writing to Learn (WTL) activities, and Writing in Disciplines (WID) activities. During reading and writing, students work to construct meaning. Students who are good readers are most often also good writers (and vice versa). By teaching reading and writing together, students learn to write and think about what they are going to read and write about what they have read. Teachers can use WTL activities to help students explore ideas and clarify what they are reading. Examples of WTL activities are unsent letters, journals, and learning logs. WID activities are more formal writing assignments. RAFT writing and research-based writing are both examples of WID activities.

* Have you used admit or exit slips in the classroom? They seem like a very good idea – especially as a way to anonymously ask questions or provide opinions.


Rae: Three main points the author suggests to improving the topic in your classroom are using response journals, learning logs, and double-entry journals. Response journals are used to create permanent records of what readers are feeling as they interact with texts. It also allows students to record their thoughts about texts and emotional reactions to text. Learning logs allow children to write in their own language, not necessarily for others to read but to themselves, about what they are learning. “Entries in logs influence learning by revealing problems and concerns.” Double-entry journals allow students to record dual entries that are conceptually related. “In doing so, students juxtapose their thoughts and feelings according to the prompts they are given for making the entries.”They also serve a variety of functions in the classroom.
Rae:
Bethany: Three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in the classroom are to use write to learn activities, to use academic journals, and to integrate reading and writing. Write to learn activities are good to use to let the students explore different ways to write. These activities are more helpful to learn the subject that they are learning. Academic journals help students generate ideas, create a record of thoughts and feelings in response to what they are reading, and explore their own lives and concerns in relation to what they are reading and learning. It is easier for students to comprehend what they read when they use writing strategies and activities.
*In your experience, is there a more liked writing activity that students seem to do better in then the others?

CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.

2. Why should 6 Traits +1 serve as a foundation for writing? Look up 6 Traits plus one (
Kelly: The 6 Traits + 1 should be used as a foundation for writing because it outlines and breaks down the important aspects of effective writing and incorporates each of the stages of the writing process. It could be used in the classroom along with the writing process. Students could be given a rubric that explains how their papers will be evaluated based on the 6 traits +1. Then the teacher could show them how the rubric and traits correspond to the stages of the writing process.

Bethany: The 6 Traits +1 should serve as a foundation for writing because it gives students good guidelines to follow in writing a successful paper. These six traits can help students' papers be more organized and enjoyable for others to read. One of the traits is fluency. Without fluency the paper would be choppy and hard to understand. All of these traits link together to help students write a successful paper.


3. Why write for reader response?
Shannon - Reader response allows students to record their thoughts about texts and emotional reactions to the text. These responses create permenant records of the thought and feelings students have as they interact with the text. Teachers can use these to understand students conflicts or excitement in learning new information.


Kelly: Response journals are an important tool for students to provide an emotional reaction to their reading. When students are given prompts and allowed to respond freely, it takes away some of the intimidation of writing that many students feel. For this reason, response journals are a great way to help poor writers become comfortable with writing and communicating their understanding through writing.

Rae: Students should write for reader response because it allows students to engage in interpretive and evaluative thinking. They allow students to have a permanent record of what they were thinking and feeling as they interacted with a text, and it allows students to record their thoughts and emotional reactions to them. “Teachers may use prompts to trigger students’ feelings and thought about a subject or may invite students to respond freely to what they are reading and doing in class.”

Bethany: I believe that students should write for reader response because it allows them to write what they're feeling and thinking without worrying if what they're writing is right or wrong. I think it's important to let students write what's inside their minds about the subject they are asked to write on. This is a good way to assess the different ways students think and feel about the subject given to them.
4. Authentic question:
Interview an intermediate or above classroom teacher about the writing, types of writing, writing process, etc. that s/he uses in the classroom. Also check on the assessment procedure.
Shannon - I asked a highschool teacher about the writing the students do in her classroom and she said she assigns papers and students turn them in and she grades them. She does not use a writing process where students are able to write, revise and resubmit to her. She did say that by highschool she felt they should be able to do that on their own. I would really dislike her class I am glad I am not in highschool any longer!

Rae: I interviewed a third grade teacher. She said, “We spent last year focusing on having the kids call themselves "writers" and added an at home writing and gathering of ideas in writer's notebook. We focused on personal narrative, small moments, using our senses to add detail, thinking about how a reader would feel about our writing as we edited. We also expanded vocab-verbs and adjectives. We write "how to" paragraphs, friendly and business letters. I try to do poetry every other week, and share with parents at spring conferences. I assess with a rubric that we put together a few years ago, sometimes I use CUPS if it is a quick assessment capitals, usage, punctuation, spelling of mechanics. I conference for the ideas and presentation and then they turn it in for a mechanics check and then I use a rubric on the published copy.”

WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?

Text set - Kelly: Again, I really like text sets. The amount of information that can be included in text sets is great. On this text set, I really liked Patricia Polacco's book and the BBC website about children in WWII. I was surprised to see the note about how teachers would send home letters with children that told them what to pack in case they were evacuated. It is amazing to think about how scary that time must have been for children.


Rae: The text set was great! I really liked the scholastic site with the scrap book of Piper Davis. Once again, it allow students to make a personal connection with someone who was living during WWI. It was also written on a very personable level, which I liked! I also really liked the BBC website, where children could see how the war would have affected them if they were living during WWI. These texts and electronic resources really allow students to absorb the information, make connections, and activate their background knowledge for better understanding of the topic.

Bethany: I always like reading the text sets you pick out. The resources from the internet can help with the topic understanding because it allows the students to interact and explore the topic of WWII. I like reading and looking at the pictures in Patricia Pollocco books. I haven't heard about her until last semester and now she seems to pop up in various classes. I like how she can portray the war differently for the reader than if the reader were to read from a textbook. It's more personal to read it in storybook form then in textbook form. She is such a great author. I think using different books helps students relate and understand the topic better. It makes it more interesting to them and can help them learn about the actual people that went through WWII and not just about the facts of the war.

Shannon - I enjoyed this text set as well. When I opened it and read the titles I was so excited to see "Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki". I think that many students would also feel that way, I can relate to baseball so it automatically became interesting to me! Textbooks don't give students the choice that the text sets do and limit the knowledge that the students ultimately retain by being uninterested.
LEARNING LOG 11
Thank for the complete excellent learning log.

At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Shannon - The author suggests that while students are studying text that we always note the importance of text structure, use study strategies such as graphic organizers, making and taking notes, writing summaries, and use study guides like in text pattern guide or selective reading guide.

• Do you think that it is important for all students to take notes while learning?

Rae: Three main points the author suggest to improving the topic in your classroom are to use graphic organizers, text patterns guides, and selective reading guides. Graphic organizers help students outline important information that is reflected in the text patterns that authors use to organize ideas. It also helps students map the relationships that exist within the text. Text pattern guides help students follow the predominant text structures in reading. Selective reading guides show students how to think with text by “modeling reading behaviors necessary to read effectively.”

Kelly: The authors suggest that teachers instruct students on becoming aware of the different types of text structure, study strategies, and study guides that will help them interact with texts. External text structures refer to the formatting features of a text, and internal text structures refer to the way in which the author organizes the text. Graphic organizers, making/taking notes, and summary writing are all study strategies that help students recognize important information and supporting information, as well as provide the opportunity for students to personally relate to the information. Study guides help students determine the organization of text.

* Kelly: When is it appropriate to begin teaching students how to summarize? Couldn’t it be done in the early childhood years? I was thinking about the Before-During-After graphic organizers and how it could be used to help young children learn to summarize. Do you agree with this strategy or are there better ways to teach it to young children?

Swanson: I think it should be done really really early ...as soon as they can in a few words summarize. What is this story about? The b/d/a is appropriate for all levels.

Bethany: Three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in the classroom are to use different study strategies like graphic organizers, to pay attention to the text structures like the internal and external, and to develop study guides to engage students in text comprehension and learning.
*Is it hard to teach younger students to recognize signal words and phrases?


Swanson: Of course not....don't we ask students to recognize Once upon a time? The recognization just takes multiple exposures.


2. How is internal text structure different from external text structure? Why should students know both?
Shannon - The external text structures are organizational aids that are built into the text tto facilitate reading for the students. These include items such as preface, a table of contents, appendixes, a bibliography and indexes. The internal text structure are the words that are written to inform or educate. This text structures focus is to tell, show, describe or explain. The internal text structure can differentiate important ideas from less important ones for students.


Rae: Internal text structure is different from external text structure because external structure is characterized by a text’s overall instructional design, and internal reflects the interrelationships among ideas in the text. External structure usually includes a preface, table of contents, appendix, bibliography, and index. Internal structure usually includes telling, showing, describing, and explain. It is important that students know both so they can see the relationships among concepts. “They are in a better position to respond to meaning and to distinguish important from less important ideas.”


Kelly: External text structure refers to formats and features within the text that assists the reader, such as the table of contents, bibliography, graphs, charts, and the index. It divides the text into major ideas. Internal text structure refers to the way in which the author organizes the text to connect ideas. Informational writing is often by description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, or problem/solution. Students need to be aware of both text structures because it helps them see the relationships among concepts and important information. It also improves learning and retention.

Bethany: External text structure is a certain format feature, like organizational aids, that are built into the text to facilitate reading. Examples are the preface, table of contents, appendixes, bibliography, and index found in a textbook. Internal text structure is what is inside of the text. It's what the author of a texts use to inform the readers. The text will tell, show, describe, or explain in its context. Students should know external text structure because it's a good aid to use to know what can be found in the text. They should know internal text structure so they can follow what is written in the text and understand what's important.

3. Graphic organizers help students comprehend and retain textually important information. How can you apply graphic organizers into the before, during, and after part of a lesson?

Shannon - The best example that I can think of is a Venn Diagram. Students can input information before, during and after a lesson. These also provide a good avenue to discuss predictions within a text and expectations of what students want from a text.


Kelly: There are an unbelievable number of graphic organizers available to assist students during the before, during, and after stages of a lesson. Before and after a lesson, a teacher could utilize a K-W-L chart to activate prior knowledge and then review what was learned. Double-entry journaling, selective reading guide, and word maps are great to use during a lesson to clarify text relationships, identify important information, and expand vocabulary.

Bethany: I can apply graphic organizers into the before, during and after part of a lesson by using a KWL chart that they can create by using prior knowledge, what they are learning while they are reading, and then write what they have learned. Instead of setting it up like a KWL chart they can set it up like a semantic map. The teacher can give them the topic and they can branch out what they already know. Then during reading they can add to the map. After they are done reading they can add to the map more that they learned.

4. Authentic question:

Interview a teacher and find our how s/he applies research/based graphic organizers to enrich writing and reading.
(Sorry, I accidently deleted this because we were on at the same time. --Bethany)
Rae: I interviewed a teacher from Jenks Elementary Schools and she said that she uses Venn diagrams to make comparisons between stories and characters. She uses cause and effect arrows which help with the visual students. She said she also does questioning sheets with an optional answer column if they find answers, and uses webs for pre-writes, or to organize information for research. She also mentioned a diagram called a fishbone. It is literally a fishbone shape with the main idea on the main back bone. As the bone branches out, the children put ideas that branch off of the main fish bone. There are three different levels. She said they use it for both reading and writing.


WIKI TEXT SET RESPONSE: After reading the text set, how do these books and electronic resources help with the topic understanding?
Shannon - As with all the other text sets, this one provides many opportunities for differing students to find something the better connect with as they study the Mayflower. I enjoyed the Mayflower Journey. It made learning more fun and students want to continue through the process and retain so much more knowledge when they are wanting to know what happens next.

Rae: The text was so great! I really loved the scholastic site once again, especially the journey on the Mayflower. It really allows children to see what they were going through while they were crossing the ocean, and what they dealt with once they landed. The slide show of the Plymouth plantation was also really great. It allows children to see what still remains of the area. It is so great to see all the different ways in which the topic can be presented other than the typical textbook.


Kelly: Wow! This text set is awesome!! I think it is my favorite one. :) The Mayflower journey on Scholastic's website is really neat, but I especially loved how you can compare/contrast daily life between the Pilgrims and Native Americans. I have been so impressed with everything I've seen on their website. I like how they layout their information in interesting formats too.

Bethany: I really liked exploring the scholastic website. It was so much more interesting and educational then reading about the Mayflower in a textbook. I liked watching the slideshow about the pilgrims and also about the first Thanksgiving. The slideshow of the Plimoth Plantation was informative to see how they lived compared to the way we live now. This would be neat for students to see so they can appreciate what we have now. The play about the Mayflower compact would be more interesting and interactive for students then a textbook. I think they become more involved with learning. This is a great text to help understanding.
LEARNING LOG 12
THANK YOU ..............THANK YOU................THANK YOU.


At the beginning of your answer, write your first name and then answer the question(s) fully.

1. (REQUIRED) What are at least three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom?

Shannon - While students are learning with trade books, the author suggests using instructional strategies, reader response strategies and a wide variety of choices in the students selection of trade books in the classroom. All of these ideas help to motivate students within their reading.

Rae: Three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in your classroom are to use trade books including those that are non-fiction, fiction, and picture books. Non fiction books include informational books and biographies and they deepen student knowledge of real people, places, and phenomena of the present and past. Fiction books allow readers to interact with texts from a number of different perspectives that are impossible to achieve in non-fiction alone. They also allow students to “see the world through a different lens, a skill that is necessary for personal and societal change and development”. Picture books encompass every genre and cover a wide range of subjects. They can also be used to enhance instruction in every content area.

Bethany- Three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in the classroom are to not just teach from textbooks, use trade books in the classroom, and use different instructional strategies to get the students more interested in reading. These points help students find a way to get information in a different way then textbooks and it's more appealing to them.


Kelly: Three main points the authors suggest to improve the topic in the classroom are to incorporate trade books, use instructional strategies, and reader response strategies with trade books. Trade books provide a broader depth of information, appeal to various interests and abilities, and expose students to a variety of formats and writing styles. Instructional strategies help students through teacher modeling, independent reading, and literature circles. Reader response strategies help students think critically about texts and help them make personal connections to what they are reading.

* Are there any types of books that you would not include in a classroom library (aside from the obvious ones with inappropriate material, racial stereotypes, etc.)? IN MY CLASSROOM LIBRARY, I USUALLY DO NOT BUY BOOKS WHICH MIGHT BE INDIVIDUALLY HARMFUL OR DISTURBING TO SOMEONE. I KEPT PRETTY AWARE OF THE BOOKS WHICH WERE BANNED IN SCHOOLS AND THEN IF THE BOOKS WERE APPROVED BY MY SCHOOL DISTRICT, THEN I WOULD JUDGE INDIVIDUALLY ITS WORK, EXAMPLE: WRINKLE IN TIME. tHOSE BOOKS WHICH HAD NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE SCHOOL LIBRARY COMMITTEE AND ON A "CHALLENGED" LIST, I PERSONALLY DID NOT BUY. I WANTED TO BE SUPPORTED BY MY LIBRARY COMMITTEE AN PRINCIPAL.



CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING TO ANSWER OR DO.

2. If teachers knew the problems with textbooks, why do they still use them? What can you do to eliminate the problems?
Shannon - Textbooks help teachers to cover large amounts of content in small amounts of time. The textbooks don't cover the depth that the ultimately need to but there is so much information that has to be presented that teachers tend to just follow the textbook. Teachers view the textbook information as efficient enough for the majority of students. The problem can be eliminated if more teachers will introduce many tradebooks and other resources in their classrooms.

Rae: I believe teachers still use textbooks because “they act as blueprints for learning in particular content areas”. We live in a standard-driven environment, and textbooks provide coverage of content in particular disciplines that can appear on high-stakes tests. The book had stated that teachers who operate under time constraints often view textbooks as efficient informational resources that support what students are studying in a particular subject as a particular time. To eliminate the problems with using textbooks, teachers could resort to trade books. Trade books are rich in narrative and informational content, and can provide a valuable complement to most textbooks. Trade books also allow students to relate experiences and perspectives that textbooks can exclude.

Bethany: I think teachers still use textbooks because it's more familiar to them and conveniate for them. I think some teachers just want to take the easy way out and only use what their schools provide them. Others might not want to take the time to find books that are appropriate and accurate. Textbooks also follow more closely to test the students have to take.


Kelly: I think teachers are so consumed with state testing and a dictated curriculum that they feel there is very little time for anything else. I think we have learned in 4043 so many ways to enrich the curriculum through text sets that it would be very easy (maybe not at first) to address all PASS objectives. The initial lesson writing, finding the websites/books, etc. would be very time consuming (which is probably a lot of the reason that teachers don’t do it). But after the lessons are written incorporating text sets, it would be very much the same as following the curriculum as they are doing now.


3. How would a trade book and electronic sources text set on an historical event enhance the curriculum?
Shannon - Trade books and electronic sources can enhance the textbook by allowing students additional or other avenues in which they can connect with the lessons they are being taught. These also allow students more imagination and stimulation with their learning which helps with retention and motivation of readers.

Rae: A trade book and electronic sources text on an historical event could enhance the curriculum because they can extend and enrich the information provided to children. They would allow students to activate their background knowledge by making connections, and help students better comprehend the historical event. The electronic source we viewed in class for the Shot Heard Round the World, provided me with more information in those few short minutes, than any textbook could provide. A trade book and electronic source will provide students with a much more interesting and exciting view on the historical event that a textbook would.

Bethany: I think trade books and electronic sources text set on an historical event would enhance the curriculum because they give the students a variety of ways to explore the historical event. They can read historical fiction books to get an idea of what the event was, but it would be told in a personal story form that would be easier to read then a textbook. Electronic sources are more enjoyable for students to read because they can explore and interact with the specific historical event better than if they were to just read a dull textbook. I think it's important to give students a variety of resources to explore historical events.


Kelly: A text set on the Revolutionary War would enhance the curriculum in countless ways. Dr. Swanson’s text set shows a wide variety of trade books, interactive websites, videos, and pictures that could be used to help students understand the war. Text sets provide information in ways that appeal to a variety of interests and help students make personal connections to the information.


Make a list of ten trade books which should be included in the study of the American Revolution. Give a rationale for each book and give in a sentence or two how you would use the books.

Kelly's List: WONDERFUL LIST................I WISH I HAD SOME OF THE BOOKS THAT YOU SUGGESTED.
1. If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore, Daniel O'Leary (Illustrator): This book is cute and uses question/answer format to discuss what life was like for children during the Revolutionary War. I would use this as a whole group read-aloud.

2. Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution by Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt Faulkner (Illustrator): This book discusses the various roles of women and girls during Revolutionary War. I would add this book to the class library for students to read independently during a Revolutionary War unit.

3. The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert: This book has 21 hands-on activities that relate directly to the Revolutionary War. I would select appropriate activity(ies) to use with the whole class.

4. The American Revolution from A to Z by Laura Crawford, Judith Hierstein (Illustrator): This is a very simple book, and does not provide in-depth information. I like the simplicity of the book and would use it only in the classroom library during the unit.

5. American Revolution: A Nonfiction Companion to Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Tree House Research Guide Series) by Natalie Pope Boyce, Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator): This is the research guide, which provides answers to questions about the Revolutionary War. I would possibly use this as writing prompts in the writing center.

6. American Revolution (Eyewitness Books Series) by Stuart Murray, DK Publishing, DK Publishing: This book provides a lot of photographs. I would use it as a whole group book for discussion and then add it to the class library.

7. Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Tree House Series #22) by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator), Salvatore Murdocca (Illustrator): Children love the Magic Tree House series, so I would have this one on the Revolutionary War as well. It would be added to the class library for students to read independently. It could also be used as a read-aloud with activities from the MTH Research Guide.

8. //George vs. George : The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides// by: Rosalyn Schanzer: I loved seeing this book in class. I would use it as a read-aloud and then added to the class library.

9. How George Washington Saved The American Revolution by Jim Murphy: This book would be used as a read-aloud. The reading level is higher, but that would appeal to the stronger readers in the class.

10. //Abigail Adams: First Lady of the American Revolution// by: Patricia Lakin, Bob Dacey (Illustrator), Debra Bandelin (Illustrator): This is a neat book that discusses Abigail Adams’ life. It is also on a lower reading level which would appeal to the struggling or reluctant readers.


Kelly: The book, On the Mayflower, is really interesting because it uses photographs. I think children would really like to see what it looked like. I also like the diagram and glossary at the end of this book. The book, The Pilgrims and Me, is also one that I think children would really enjoy. The simple language will be easy for children to relate to and read independently. The internet sites are awesome! I just love Scholastic – I’ve been impressed with all of them. The Jamestown online adventure is so cool!! I know students would LOVE this and have so much fun, which would really solidify their knowledge of the information.




Authentic Question:
Take a poll of five teachers and find out how they integrate trade books into their content area classroom.